Author Interview: Kristina R. Mosley

Kristina R. Mosley lives in Conway, Arkansas. Her work has been featured in numerous small-press publications, including Tales from the Grave, Sanitarium Magazine, Waiting, Disturbed Digest, and Devolution Z. Her novelette Strange Days is on Amazon, and she’s currently trying to make a novel fit for human consumption.

1. How long have you been writing and what got you started?

I’ve known I wanted to be a writer since I was 13 or 14, but I didn’t really get started until college. I decided to be a Creative Writing major, so my first real writings were class assignments. I didn’t really write stories as a small child like a lot of other writers did, but I did have a great love of reading and storytelling.

2. What is the best piece of advice you have for new writers?

I guess my best advice would just be to get the words on the page. You have to start somewhere.

3. Are there any writing resources, such as books or websites, you’d like to recommend?

I don’t look up advice as much as I should, but Chuck Wendig often posts good advice on his Twitter and his blog. I follow Neil Gaiman on Tumblr, and he will also post advice on occasion. As far as resources, the website Behind the Name is good if looking for names that need a special meaning. (It also has a website for surnames.) The website etymonline.com is good for looking up the etymologies of words.

4. What is your favorite type of fiction and who are your favorite authors?

I’ll be general and say dark fantasy. I’ve been leaning toward urban fantasy lately, even though I don’t read as much as I should. I like when magical things happen in a close to real world setting. Some of my favorite writers include Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix, Christopher Moore (he’s usually shelved in the fiction section, but he’s had vampires and zombies in some of his books.) Lately, I’ve also been enjoying Chuck Wendig and Seanan McGuire. Flannery O’Connor and Robin McKinley remain favorites as well.

5. What tips do you have for finding time to write?

Finding time is hard. If you really want to write, you’ll have to use any free moment that you have. Don’t get too hung up on the word counts, because any amount of words on the page is a victory.

6. Do you prefer to outline a story in advance or write on the fly? Why?

I’ve written both ways, honestly. For longer projects, I try to get the major plot points outlined, and I might make up the lesser points on the fly. For short stories, I’ll often just keep everything in my head until I write.

7. How do you deal with rejections?

I try to keep in mind that rejections aren’t personal. The editor just wants the best story for their publication, and my story didn’t fit this time. I tend to take the rejection better if the editor is able to offer constructive feedback. I understand that this isn’t possible all the time due to submission volumes, but it helps me improve my writing.

8. What are your writing goals for the next twelve months?

I have a novel that is done and edited, but still needs to be looked over by alpha and beta readers before I can send it out. Getting a publishing company interested in that within the next twelve months would be pretty nifty.

9. For the next five years?

Realistically, I’d like to have a few novels published that are well-reviewed and have moderate success.

10. Is there anything you’d like to plug? Feel free to share a link.

I don’t have a lot to plug right now, but my novelette Strange Days is on Amazon.